Halgaring (HAHL-gar-ing)
Warriors. Seafarers. Traders. Survivors.
Warriors. Seafarers. Traders. Survivors.
The Halgaring at a Glance
The Halgaring folk were originally a nomadic clan of Altorii. Eventually they migrated westward, then followed the herds north before finally settling in the area around the Wyvern Gulf under a leader named Halgar Hammerfist. There they found a land with richly soiled lowlands (thanks to ancient glacial action), but also home to dangerous creatures. These included trolls, giants, linnorms, wyverns and scattered goblin tribes. Many of their settlements were destroyed in those early years, and many lives lost. Paradoxically, during this time the Altorii blood was mixed with some Aurvandi and this became the modern Halgaring people.
Indeed, it is unlikely the remaining folk would survive long without outside help, but as luck would have it, it was at this point they discovered (and quickly allied with) the dwarves of Hammerhome, an ancient Dwarfhold in what is now the Kingsfell region of Svalbard. These folk were suffering from a fungal blight that threatened their food supply, and trade with the newcomers secured game and produce dwarves were not accustomed to. In exchange, dwarven weapons and armor supplemented the clansmen in their struggles.
The first great leader among the newcomers was Halgar Hammerfist, a man who unabashedly adopted dwarven fashion in everything. He became head of his clan in short order, having designed and constructed the first real fortifications and establishing an unassailable stronghold from which his people could establish new steadings in new lands. With the influence of the dwarves and contact with the local giants (even occasionally peaceably) their native tongue changed from a dialect to its own linguistic identity. Writing, copied from their dwarf allies, was runic.
The Halgarings are a clannish folk, grouped by region and extended blood ties to create influence blocs, often at loggerheads in a struggle for advantage. Despite this, any outsider attempting to interfere will find these hotheaded rivals becoming a solidly unified front.
One note should be made of a rogue splinter group which eventually developed into its own ethnicity: the Varanjar. More about this folk can be read in their own entry. Despite being a distinct cultural group, the two do share a confined geography, and, while usually peaceful, has not always been so.
Culture
Art & Architecture
Halgarings generally live in a harsh environment. Bitter cold winds from Wyvern Gulf, heavy snows from the Wyvern Basin topography, and dangerous creatures all force the locals to take prudent precautions to waste no heat or opportunity for defense. Most buildings tend to be half-buried, allowing heat from hearths to be retained by surrounding earth. Steeply-pitched roofs shed heavy snow, and the apex is often adorned with some form of decoration. Knotwork or carvings with animal heads are common.
Most steadings are built in concentric circles, with the innermost being a green space for emergency grazing. It often boasts a well. The second ring consists mainly of residential buildings and community structures. The third includes outbuildings and open space (often used as mustering grounds, training areas, festaial spaces or even garden plots). The fourth is the palisade and ditch. The fifth is cleared space, kept free of any obstructions behind which an enemy might hide. The outermost ring is the patrol zone, often marked with painted sticks or their equivalent to warn travelers that they are trespassing.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The Halgaring ideal of beauty has some stark dichotomies: for example, an emphasis on practicality of dress and equipment, but those adorned with intricate knotwork patterns, often with beast motifs. The idea of status in dress does not appear to have translated, as it is just as likely to see a carl dressed as a nobleman as it is for a king to look like a peasant.
Likewise, hair is generally worn long (to aid in protection from cold) but plaited in elaborate ways to keep it from obscuring vision or getting in the way.
Gender Ideals
Gender in society is assumed by the roles one accepts. Household matters are traditionally female responsibilities, but a man performing such tasks is not vewed as effeminate any more than a woman with axe and spear is assumed to be masculine. In the event that a person of one sex should feel compelled to become another, there are sorcerous rituals by which such changes may be made (or unmade). This ritual is a jealously guarded prerogative of the priestly class.
Relationship Ideals
Halgaring marriages tend to be an odd mix of ad hoc and formal traditions. While occasionally celebrated as a social or religious event, they are just as likely an informal acknowledgement between partners. There is no stigma attached to divorce for either party, and the goods one enters into marriage owning are his or hers on departing it. When children are part of the equation both parents remain responsible for raising them, and in the case of remarriage the stepparents are also involved.
That said, compared to their southern cousins the Halgaring have surprisingly few divorces.
Major organizations
The Kingdom of Svalbard is the most powerful and cohesive of these organizations, but under this umbrella there include five Jarldoms: Kingsfell, Heortland, Jarlshold, Ostenmark, and Vestfold. There are also clan structures, such as Halgrimr Clan.
Common Heritages
Human (69%)
Dwarf (12%)
Half Elf (10%)
Half Orc (8%)
Common Classes
Barbarian
Bard
Cleric
Fighter
Magus
Oracle
Rogue
Sorcerer
Witch
Comments